According to Oxford Reference and related botanical definitions, Azolla is a genus of small, free floating aquatic ferns within the family Salviniaceae or sometimes Azollaceae

It is also regarded as a genus of seven species of small, free floating aquatic ferns commonly known as mosquito fern, water fern, or fairy moss.

It belongs to the Salviniaceae family and often it is refered to as “Green Gold” due to its rapid growth, high protein content and nitrogen fixing capabilities. This aquatic fern is a perfect feed for the healthy growth of animals such as cattle, goats, sheep etc and poultry.

Azolla is further regarded as a bio fertilizer due to its ability to fix nitrogen for crops such as rice and waste water

treatment, and even explored for biofuels and plastics. This has made it a key component in sustainable agricultural practices and resource efficiency.

Significantly reduces feed costs while improving livestock health and welfare. Local suppliers in Malawi especially in Lilongwe, do offer azolla ‘seeds’ also known as starters and also training.

In Malawi, there are many parts where Azolla is grown and sold but Lilongwe as the capital city has many active players as seen on the social media platforms.

There are several ways azolla is supplied to clients of which some of them is through Facebook links , websites and other ways.

Through Social Media links sellers and potential prospective buyers contact each other using contact numbers oand seal their deals.

This provides sustainable year round feed for small holder farmers and just individuals. Furthermore, Azolla is very good for manure and act as an organic fertilizer for the Agricultural plants.

With daily increase of feed costs, azolla is fast becoming the only way to go, for farmers to survive in our economy.

Advantages of using Azolla in Malawi

It is unfortunate that up to this day there are many people who rare chicken and animals but are not aware about Azolla and do not even know that there is that wonderful aquatic plant.

There are several reasons to use Azolla. Among them, these are the following:-

Cost -Reduction and Cost-Effective Feed Substitute

AZOLLA provides high protein which is estimated between 20-35 percent crude protein and is alternative to expensive commercial feeds for poultry, cows,goats and fish. It can replace about 20 percent of chicken commercial feed, helping directly lowering production costs.

Animal Feed

It contains about 18 essential amino acids, vitamins A,B12 and minerals which are calcium and phosphorus that help in improving overall health and in chickens it helps to improve egg yolk color.

Nitrogen fixation

Azolla acts as a fertilizer as it is a nitrogen fixer. When incorporated into soil as green manure or intercrop, decaying Azolla releases fixed nitrogen, enriching soil fertility for crops like rice, reducing the requirement for these expensive chemical fertilizers. Kumarasinghe and Eskew (1993)Quantifies nitrogen fixation rates across different Azolla species.

Rapid Growth

AZOLLA is a biomass fertilizer which works efficiently which grows very quickly and rapidly.

Readily available through out the year

When you use Azola, you will be rest assured that there is no disruption in the supply. This is because Azolla grows very fast assuming that every thing is in order.

Good for Soil Health Improvement

Azolla adds organic matter, improves the structure of the soil, suppress weeds, retaining of moisture and also create a sustainable system as explained in detail in articles on platforms such as ScienceDirect

Environmental Benefits and Other Uses

Its rapid growth helps to capture the caborn in the atmosphere which combats climate Change

Bio remediation

Helps to clean contaminated water bodies. Azolla is a water purifier.

Weed Suppression

Azolla forms a dense mat which out competes weeds in high water logged places.

How Azolla is grown and it’s market

Azolla is usually grown in shallow waters and does very well in hot areas despite that you can still see Azolla in even cool places in Malawi

Suppliers And Agents

There are a bunch of suppliers and some middle men in this game of selling and supplying of Azolla. The notable ones among many are those whose contacts are below

+265 999 953 235

+265 995 427 721

By conducting these numbers, you are rest assured that can be supplied with clean high quality Azolla.

The availability of some fish ponds where AZOLLA is grown at Izala lodge makes the reliable place when you want to purchase Azolla.

Disclaimer

Having talked about the importance of using Azolla and its advantages, this does not rule out or stop the routine use of other chicken and animal feed on daily basis or any time.

Otherwise, the use of AZOLLA may be regarded as just a supplementary feed and may not be regarded as the total replacement for animals and poultry feed.

In other words, it all depends on the individuals, their perceptions and ability. Some people may feel alright on feeds and some may be comfortable to mix with other expensive feeds despite that Azolla is the way to go.